WATCH: Airline Officers Drag Man Off of Overbooked United Airlines Flight
@united @FoxNews @CNN not a good way to treat a Doctor trying to get to work because they overbooked pic.twitter.com/sj9oHk94Ik
— Tyler Bridges (@Tyler_Bridges) April 9, 2017
A number of airline officials were filmed Sunday night dragging a man off his flight from Chicago to Louisville after United Airlines booked too many seats on the plane.
The incident took place at O’Hare International Airport. According to WHAS 11, the plane was overbooked, and the airline was asking volunteers to catch later flights and make room for United employees in route for their next flights. In a video that’s blowing up on social media, a man claiming to be a doctor refused to give up his seat, which led to a confrontation with airline officials.
Reports indicate that the man explained he needed to attend to patients in Louisville. Security ended up forcibly removing him from his seat as passengers looked on in horror. The man was eventually let back on the flight, though he was reportedly bloody and disoriented from the encounter. The plane left the airport two hours behind schedule.
The videos received considerable online reactions from those who found the encounter disturbing:
@Tyler_Bridges @united @FoxNews @CNN This is horrific to watch @united you better bloody well do something about this
— Jacob (@TheDiaryofJacob) April 10, 2017
@Tyler_Bridges @united @FoxNews @CNN I definitely won’t be flying @United if this is their attitude toward customers – they screw-up, then use bullyboy tactics to “resolve” it.
— Patrick Cusworth (@Patriccus) April 10, 2017
@striders @united @ACLU @united So who did you give the seat to after violently dragging a paid customer with ticket who arrived on time & seated?
— FastpitchOhioMom (@ohioMom10) April 10, 2017
Holy Fuck United, if you overbook the flight, doesnt someone who is not on the plane already get screwed? Youre gonna drag an old man off?
— cmval5454 (@cmval545454) April 10, 2017
Hey @United, if you overbook a flight and let someone on, you can’t just beat the crap out of them and drag them off the plane.
— Chris Keating (@happycishappy) April 10, 2017
“Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked,” said a United spokesman who responded to the incident. “After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate. We apologize for the overbook situation.”
Watch above.
UPDATE –– 1:48 p.m. ET: United CEO Oscar Munoz has apologized for “having to re-accommodate these customers.”
UPDATE –– 3:07 p.m. ET: At least one of the officers involved in the dustup has reportedly been suspended.
BREAKING: One of the officers who removed the passenger from United flight has been placed on leave effective today. pic.twitter.com/N5JZIdo4IQ
— Jeffrey Cook (@JeffreyCook) April 10, 2017
[Image via screengrab]
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